Thoughts From 2Timothy 3 - Part 2

  They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 7 always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these teachers oppose the truth. They are men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. 9 But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone. 2Tim 3:6-9

         I have heard that Jannes and Jambres were the previously unnamed magicians that served the Pharoah that Moses approached when he said, "Let my people go." Moses proceeded to throw down his staff which turned into a snake, and they did the same thing convincing Pharoah that God was not to be feared. They also were able to turn water into blood further hardening Pharoah's heart. Eventually they couldn't mimic all the tricks and they had to admit, as they should have when their snakes were eaten by Moses', that Yahweh was greater than their gods. Their folly had become clear to everyone that they were "amateur hour". It reminds me of Balaam who also toyed with the supernatural. His folly was exposed by a talking donkey.

     The point Paul is making in this passage, and the preceding ones is that a lot of people toy with Christianity and the power of God but don't jump in. They grab what they like and what they can use for their benefit but the part about total surrender and giving up control is off the table to them. I think of all the widows out there tuning into their favorite TV preachers who are promising them eternal rewards or playing on their heart strings with fake orphanages, giving their money to support these phonies who have wormed their way into their houses. I know one woman who gave thousands to a phony named Creflo Dollar who is now worth $30 million. Kenneth Copeland is worth $500 million, Joel Osteen $100 million, Benny Hinn $60million, TD Jakes $20million, and lesser ones like Greg Locke, Todd White, Julie Green and more, toy with the truths of Christianity but use them to get ahead in this world which is not the world that we are supposed to be living for. They are studying scripture and learning all about it but yet missing the key elements and people are falling for it because it's appealing to the same part in them.

      I listened to a Mormon apologist on YouTube, and he knew scripture as well as the interviewer. The problem is that he was interpreting it through the wrong lens just as these false teachers are interpreting it through the here and now lens. Paul calls this thinking "depraved" which it is because it is from the devil. Let's be wise and discerning and call out falsehood and distortion of the truth when we see it. Don't fall for it!